In brief The UAE Federal Law No. 18 of 1981 regulating Commercial Agencies (Law) was amended for the fourth time on 28 May 2020 by Federal Law No. 11 of 2020 (the Amendment). The last amendment had taken place in 2010. The Amendment granted, for the first time, the right for companies incorporated in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that are not 100% owned by UAE nationals, namely public joint-stock companies with at least 51%…
On 25 May 2020, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, has announced the gradual reopening of business activities in Dubai and removal of all movement restrictions between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm, as of 27 May 2020. The sectors allowed to resume activities include retail and wholesale outlets, airports, clinics, educational and training institutions, sports academies, cinemas, entertainment and leisure attractions,…
In February 2020, the Chairman of the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) has issued Board Resolution No. (03/R.M) of 2020 which adopts the new Corporate Governance Guide for Public Joint-Stock Companies (the Resolution). The Resolution will come into force on 28 April 2020 and will repeal the previous SCA Chairman Resolution No. (7 R.M) of 2016 on the Standards of Institutional Discipline and Governance of Public Joint-Stock Companies. The Resolution introduces new corporate governance rules…
In September 2018, the UAE issued the Foreign Direct Investment Law (FDI Law) to open up the UAE mainland market to foreign investors in certain sectors of the economy. This was followed by the announcement on July 2019 of the relaxation of foreign ownership restrictions for 122 business activities, specifically in the manufacturing, agricultural and services categories (Positive List), pursuant to the FDI Law. On 17 March 2020, the UAE Cabinet issued Cabinet Resolution No.…
As the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread across the globe, businesses are facing weakened financial markets, disruption to workplace operations, and economic uncertainty. We have seen unprecedented measures taken by the UAE to prevent the spread of the disease including mandatory work from home instructions and business shut downs. However, there has been uncertainty as to what steps an employer can take to mitigate the impact of the virus while protecting the rights…